Ukraine crisis: Joe Biden agrees ‘in principle’ to summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin
- Biden-Putin summit proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron as tensions escalate over Ukraine
- Russian troops and exercises on Ukraine’s northern border have raised fears of an imminent invasion
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Monday he had pitched both leaders on a summit over “security and strategic stability in Europe”. The White House said in a statement that Biden had accepted the meeting “in principle” but only “if an invasion hasn’t happened”.
“We are always ready for diplomacy,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war.”
Many details about the proposed summit – which was announced after a volley of phone calls between Macron, Biden, Putin, Zelensky, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – are unclear.
Macron’s office and the White House said the substance of the summit would be worked out by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting planned for February 24. What role Ukraine would play in the summit, if any, was also uncertain.